On politics in the Golden State

Skelton: Changes could spell end of Capitol gridlock

The end of the legislative session on Friday also signaled the end of an era in Sacramento, writes George Skelton in Monday's column.

He says changes to term limits, district boundaries and primary voting may help reduce the Capitol's infamous gridlock.

"The new system — the product of voter-approved reforms — hopefully will
produce more pragmatic, less ideological legislators committed to
negotiating long-term fixes to California's problems," Skelton writes.

Already lawmakers have begun finalizing the state budget on time.

"Many new folks coming up, I just think they're a better quality
legislator — both Republicans and Democrats. They're not the same old
partisan hacks," veteran Republican consultant Marty Wilson told Skelton.